Rev. Rick Warren delivers invocation

WASHINGTON — The Rev. Rick Warren has delivered the inaugural invocation, saying Barack Obama's election as the nation's first black president represents a pivotal point in history.

Calling America a "land of unequaled possibility," Warren's prayer invoked the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and asked that Americans remember they are united by a commitment to freedom and justice for all.

The conservative evangelical is considered perhaps the nation's most influential pastor. His "Purpose Driven Life" books and lectures have made his Saddleback Church in California among the largest in the country.

But his selection to give the invocation sparked protests from the gay community and liberal groups, because of his support of a California ballot measure banning gay marriage.